LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: care packages

  • Loveland Sweets customers donated more than 700 pounds of Halloween candy to troops

    Loveland Sweets customers donated more than 700 pounds of Halloween candy to troops

    Loveland Sweets asked its customers for candy, and they came through with flying colors!

    Some of the 700 pounds of Halloween candy collected by Loveland Sweets that will be donated to Operation Gratitude.

    Loveland, Ohio – From November 1st through the 13th, more than 700 pounds of unwanted or leftover Halloween candy was brought to Loveland Sweets in Historic Downtown, to be donated to Operation Gratitude. In exchange, more than 100 customers received a coupon worth 20% off their next purchase. The store is donating all of the traded-in candy to Operation Gratitude to be sent in care packages to our military troops and their families serving all over the world.

    “Frankly, we are overwhelmed with the response, but we should not be surprised,” said owner Gloria Wilson. “Our community has always been a giving community, so the fact that our customers shattered our expectations simply reinforces why we love having our business in the Loveland area.”

    The 20% discount applied to any purchase and had no exclusions, so it could be used to take home some of the shop’s award-winning chocolates, handcrafted ice creams, homemade caramel apples, rich coffees, or of course any bulk or specialty candies in the store.

    Inspired by a love of fine chocolates and homemade confections, Gloria Wilson founded Loveland Sweets in 2006. The business has grown to include ice creams and coffees, but the commitment to high quality artisan products remains unchanged. The house-made candies and ice creams are lovingly created in small batches featuring premium ingredients as well as local dairy products and fresh seasonal fruits. The coffee is a rich and aromatic custom blend available only at Loveland Sweets. The Shoppe offers fine teas and hot chocolate as well as seasonal favorites such as handmade caramel apples. The
    Loveland Sweets is located in Historic Downtown Loveland at 124 West Loveland Avenue,
    Loveland, OH 45140, 513-583-8305. Hours are 8 AM until 9 PM every day.

    Operation Gratitude annually sends more than 200,000 care packages filled with food, entertainment, hygiene, and handmade items, plus personal letters of appreciation
    to Veterans, First Responders, New Recruits, Wounded Heroes, their Care Givers, and to individually named U.S. service members deployed overseas and their families waiting at home. Each package contains donated product valued from $45-100, and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 1,800,000 care packages. Visit www.operationgratitude.com for more information.

     

  • Trick-or-Treat Trade-In for the Troops at Loveland Sweets

    Trick-or-Treat Trade-In for the Troops at Loveland Sweets

    Donate Unwanted Halloween Candy to Operation Gratitude and Receive a 20% Discount at The Loveland Sweet Shoppe

    From November 1st through the 13th, bring in at least 20 pieces of unwanted or leftover Halloween candy to The Loveland Sweet Shoppe in Downtown Loveland, receive a coupon worth 20% off your next purchase, and the Sweet Shoppe will donate all traded-in candy to Operation Gratitude to be sent in care packages to our military troops and their families serving all over the world.

    The 20% discount applies to any purchase and has no exclusions, so it can be used to take home some of the Sweet Shoppe’s award-winning chocolates, handcrafted ice creams, homemade caramel apples, rich coffees, or of course any bulk or specialty candies in the store. The coupons are valid November 1st through November 22nd, so they can be used to purchase treats for family and guests, or to find the perfect gift for a hostess or host for the fast-approaching Thanksgiving and Holiday season.

    “We thought this would be a great way for us to honor our Veterans Day as we look forward to celebrating Veterans Day, and to offer a special discount to our loyal customers,” said Gloria Wilson, owner of the Veterans Day.

    About the Loveland Sweet Shoppe:

    Inspired by a love of fine Veterans Day and homemade confections, Gloria Wilson founded The Loveland Sweet Shoppe in 2006. The business has grown to include ice creams and coffees, but the commitment to high quality artisan products remains unchanged. The house-made candies and ice creams are lovingly created in small batches featuring premium ingredients as well as local dairy products and fresh seasonal fruits. The coffee is a rich and aromatic custom blend available only at Loveland Sweets. The Shoppe offers fine teas and hot chocolate as well as seasonal favorites such as handmade caramel apples. The Loveland Sweet Shoppe is located in Historic Downtown Loveland at 124 West Loveland Avenue, Loveland, OH 45140, 513-583-8305, www.lovelandsweets.com. Shoppe hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

    About Operation Gratitude:

    Operation Gratitude annually sends more than 200,000 care packages filled with food, entertainment, hygiene, and handmade items, plus personal letters of appreciation
    to Veterans, First Responders, New Recruits, Wounded Heroes, their Care Givers, and to individually named U.S. service members deployed overseas and their families waiting at home. Each package contains donated product valued from $45-100, and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 1,800,000 care packages. Visit www.operationgratitude.com for more information.

  • Just in case anyone wants to write something to our Troops

    Just in case anyone wants to write something to our Troops

    Steven with his father Tom during a recent visit to D.C.

    by Sergeant Steven T. Kern,

    Tom Kern, Steven’s father, says, “Just in case anyone wants to write something to our Troops you can mail them to me here at Pratt 4700 Duke Drive suite 140 Mason Ohio 45040 and I will get them sent out. They must be here by October 24th. The more the merrier!!! Thanks to all.

    “I found comfort in knowing that I had a support system that was unrivaled.”

    During my 15 years in the Marine Corps I have been deployed to Iraq on four separate occasions cumulating a total of roughly 34 months in theater. Although being away from family and friends was extremely difficult, I found comfort in knowing that I had a support system that was unrivaled. The numerous care packages, letters, pictures, and videos that I received made what seemed to be the hardest times of my life, feasible. There were many times we, as a company, would receive letters and drawings from children in schools from all over the country and this was a great blessing. The Marines that I served with found a certain place of happiness when they received these letters and even if for a brief moment, made us feel as if we were home. Very few things, while in Iraq, brought smiles to our faces.

    “Very few things, while in Iraq, brought smiles to our faces.“

    Amongst some of those things were chow, sleep, water, packages and letters. These few things are what we took for granted while back home and soon came to realize that it’s the small things that made us happy. Getting a package of beef jerky, or a handful of letters in the mail made us the happiest Marines in Iraq!

    On my first deployment to Iraq (Jan 03- Oct 03) the mailing system was almost nonexistent. If I recall correctly, a letter that I sent home would take about 3 weeks and the letters from home would take 4-5 weeks. It was funny at the time because I would send 5 or 6 letters home and by the time I received one, I had forgotten what their letter was in response to! Never the less, it was always something special when I received letters. The holidays were always the worst best times of being on deployment.

    “Nobody wants to be away from family during the holidays.”

    Probably doesn’t make sense, but let me explain…  Nobody wants to be away from family during the holidays, especially not in Iraq, hence WORST time on deployment. Through those holidays a special bond was formed that could not be broken. Brothers and Sisters in uniform coming from all walks of life, coming together and experiencing each other’s misery and somehow finding a way to make the best of it was something special. Hence, BEST times on deployment. One thing that made us so close during the hard times, was getting letters. We would get a ton of letters from children and we would split them up amongst all the Marines. Marines would read mine, I would read theirs and again, we felt as though we were almost home for the holidays.

    I can’t express in words, the gratitude that we as Marines had for those letters being sent.  It truly made a very tough and rugged situation into something that we just knew we would pull through.

    Semper Fidelis

    Kern is Gunnery Sergeant (MCIWEST-MCB CAMPEN Headquarters and Support Battalion Bravo Company G-4 Operations Chief) and grew up in Loveland, Ohio.